What is Herb Alpert's secret to success? He says unless you're passionate, don't even try
In a Q interview, the eight-time Grammy winner reflects on his incredible career in music
On his website, Herb Alpert is described as "a man with a profound passion."
In the 1960s, he established his signature sound as the bandleader of Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass. He's won eight Grammys, sold 72 million records worldwide, and is the only musician to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as both a vocalist and an instrumentalist.
Beyond his own music, Alpert co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss, which gave a platform to artists such as Burt Bacharach, Sérgio Mendes and the Carpenters. And if that isn't enough, he's also an abstract painter and sculptor.
"When I'm playing the trumpet, when I'm sculpting, when I'm painting, I'm in the exact moment of my life — and that is a seductive place to be," Alpert said in an interview with Q's Tom Power. "A lot of times we're thinking about yesterday or tomorrow, but when I'm doing it, man, I'm right there."
Looking back on his impressive career, Alpert, now 88, shared the advice he offers to young artists when they ask for it.
"I tell kids, when they ask me, 'What's the secret of your success?' I say, 'There's no secret, man. Be passionate about what you're doing because if you're not, while you're sleeping, these other kids are practicing,'" he told Power.
Since the time Alpert got his start, the music landscape has changed dramatically to adapt to a digital world, but he maintained that passion is still the key.
"It's complicated out there now," he said. "I mean, you got to know how to work the medium…. But, look, unless you're passionate about what you're doing as a musician, don't even try. You know, I have a jazz club here in Los Angeles and I hear musicians — musicians you never heard of, man — they're just fantastically great. And so it's rough out there.
"Unless you're really committed, unless this is what you have to do the rest of your life, don't even try it. There's too many great musicians out there and you got to do it for the right reasons. Don't do it because you want to make money or you want to attract women or men or whatever it is. You know, it's like, you got to have heart!"
These days, Alpert is still on the road. Last month, he was on tour in Western Canada and starting May 13, he'll be performing in Ontario and Quebec. Check your local listings for more details.
The full interview with Herb Alpert is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Herb Alpert produced by Ben Edwards.
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